Chapter 18: "Evil's Finest Hour."
The taxi carriage dropped us all off in the large courtyard that bordered around the gigantic crystal glass tower. We looked up in amazement at the structure's beauty. A gleaming stadium sized spire made entirely of sparkling nearly translucent glass that ascended up into the heavens. Through the glass, I saw a staircase that lead to the top of it, and numerous if not hundreds of rooms from which visitors could've seen all of Mareiposa and looked down and felt like they were floating in the air.
It would've been a truly beautiful sight. If an insane lunatic wasn't about to use it as a conduit to end the world.
I looked up, as the eclipse was now directly over the spire, I felt a sudden rush of dread in the pit of my stomach. It was starting. "We have to get up there!" I exclaimed.
"Then get going! Me and my sister will stay and watch your back." Salah yelled over the commotion starting, as hundreds of ponies began to flee the tower in terror. He looked over at Dr. Seastone and Gold Digger."And you two go with her. Make sure that murderer gets whats coming to her!"
I looked at him surprised. "We can't just leave you out here!"
He smiled. "Don't worry about us, Meir. Me and Ralah have seen plenty of worse things then this. We'll be here when you've saved the world. On my honor...as a thief."
"Mine too!" Ralah added cheerfully.
I wanted to at least give them a hug, but they insisted I go now. With no time to lose, we ran into the crystal spire and began climbing the staircase within, desperate to reach the top before it was too late.
As we ascended up the tower, Dr. Seastone called out from behind me. "So, uh, what exactly are we planning on doing here?"
"You mean you never came up with a plan!? I thought you were a genius!" Gold Digger exclaimed as we passed another floor of the tower. The top was still a ways up.
"Hey, I'm a scientist! But this supernatural stuff is way out of my element!" Dr. Seastone retorted. Then she called up to me. "So, Meir!"
I looked back at her. "Yeah?"
"You're the real genius here. What's the game-plan, coach?"
I'm sure at this point I could've said anything to make myself sound like I knew what I was doing. But this time around, I had no idea what I was doing. And I had no intention of wasting time making plans. "We wing it." I said simply.
Dr. Seastone and Gold Digger both had different opinions on that answer.
"Alright then!" said Dr. Seastone cheerfully.
"We're gonna die." said Gold Digger in a defeated tone.
Tower Of The Sun, Top Level, 1:34 pm
As we rounded the corner of the top floor of the tower, we heard fighting in the next area. We all stopped running as I peeked around the corner and gasped aloud at seeing none other then Maregold fighting off two burly henchponies.
He had one in a choke-hold, as one came around and attempted to catch him by the neck. But Maregold swung around and delivered a hard hay-maker to the henchpony's jaw, sending him to the floor. Then picked up the other by the scruff of his neck and suplexed him hard onto the glass floor. So hard in fact that he smashed clean through onto the lower floor.
Panting, Maregold looked up at me. "Meir..."
"Maregold, I-
"MOVE!"
Without warning, Maregold slammed hard into my side, nearly knocking the wind out of me. But I looked back, just in time to see the thrown knife bury itself in Maregold's chest.
"NOOO!"
Maregold fell back onto the floor, as I turned back to glare at Maregold's assassin: It was her. She threw back her perfect blonde mane as she took a step forward. "Ohhhh, did I do that? My bad. Klutzy me, I guess." Debelle said mockingly.
Dr. Seastone and Gold Digger made a grab for her, but with a wave of her hoof, she froze them in place, as if they were paused in time.
I knelt down to check on Maregold. The knife had been thrown with such precision, that if I so much as breathed on it, it would've pierced his heart. Blood began to pool beneath him, as I diagnosed he only had minutes to live. And there was nothing I could do to save him.
I felt anger boil inside me as I glared over at her. "Why? WHAT POSSIBLE REASON DID YOU HAVE TO DO THIS! HE WAS ONE OF YOUR SUBORDINATES!" I shouted. I could've rung my hooves around this maniac's neck at this point.
"N-no."
I looked down in shock, as Maregold began to speak. His words came out weak, and slow. But I heard them anyway. "I....I was never one of them...I...pretended to be....in order to get close. F-find out what...they were planning."
I felt tears well up in my eyes. "You saved our lives....why? Why would you take a knife for me?" I asked, trying to keep myself from sobbing.
He coughed up a small bit of blood, then smiled. The first smile I'd ever seen him wear. And I could tell it was genuine. "W-we....we were always on the same side, Meir." he sputtered. "Different causes...but a common enemy."
"You mean The Circle?"
Maregold lurched forward. "Don't call them that!....The real Circle was a noble, ancient order, that my ancestors served with. They built this city, not on blood, but hard work and dedication to its citizens."
He coughed again. "These....monsters, have no right to use that name!" He exclaimed suddenly. He moved to glare at Debelle, who only smiled in return. "These ponies are no better than the demons they worship." Maregold spat at her.
I got him to focus again. "Maregold! What is she after? Who are the Dark Ones?" I asked frantically.
Maregold smiled again. "N-Not what she thinks. Or what you think. They are like a weapon....but a weapon, that our enemies will find difficult to wield...a double edged sword....O-older than Celestia....then Luna...they are beyond our abilities of comprehension...and The Goddess's enemy."
"The Goddess?"
Maregold coughed again. More blood this time. "S-she....is the one who came before. Before The princesses...before Equestria. Before the world....the mother of it all." He coughed once more. "The Dark Ones seek to undo what she created."
"W-we can stop them! You, me and all of us! Together!"
He chuckled. "No, Meir. M-my journey ends here, I'm afraid."
As I was about to protest, he suddenly pulled me in close and whispered in my ear. "This tower represents a colossal energy...caused by the alignment of The sun and Moon. They wish to use this energy...to tear open the veil of our world, and let the Dark Ones in...But you...YOU are The Catalyst....the one who will direct The Dark One's final decision for us. Only you...can show them the truth."
With that he laid back down. My heart lurched as I began to see the light leave his eyes. "Tell....Goldbloom...I'm sorry, and that she's...the Head Inspector now...I-I...I know she'll do great."
He looked up at me and smiled. "Will you do this for me, Meir?"
"Of course I will!"
He chuckled one last time, then closed his eyes. "May The Goddess guide you on your journey, my....friend..."
With those final words, he died. Died to save me. To save his city. To save the world. This whole time, he had been the good guy all along. And his sacrifice would not be in vain.
I stood up and turned around. Of course she was gone. Run off like the murderous coward she was.
Dr. Seastone and Gold Digger got up off the floor in a stupor. "Wha...what happened?" Dr. Seastone asked, as I walked past her.
"You two go back and check on Ralah and Salah."
"What?? What about you?"
I turned and looked at her, my eyes blazing like fire. "I'm going to finish this."
They didn't even question me as they looked at one another, then nodded. "Go get her, Meir!" Dr. Seastone said confidentially, patting me on the shoulder.
Gold Digger smiled at me as well. "Put an end to this madness. For good." she said seriously.
I assured them I would, and they left, going back down the stairs we came. I walked over to the stairs to the roof and, after giving one last look at Maregold, I gathered my courage and made my way to the roof.
Everything I had been through. The deaths. The danger. The fear and terror. The madness. It all ended here.
No more games. No more tricks.
Debelle knew I was coming for her. Dear Celestia, I hope she did.
Because I wanted to see the look on her face when I finally beat her.